Valley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Of all the French names to come from that northwestern peninsula of France known as Brittany, Valley is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in Brittany. The name Valley is also derived from the Old French word vallee, meaning valley, and indicates that the original bearer lived in a valley.

Early Origins of the Valley family

The surname Valley was first found in Brittany where this distinguished family held a family seat in Val, and were important members of the aristocracy of the region.

Early History of the Valley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Valley research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1552, 1576, 1590, 1620, 1642, 1655, 1696, 1773, 1832, 1846 and 1885 are included under the topic Early Valley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Valley Spelling Variations

There were a great number of spelling variations in French surnames. One reason for this was the wide variety of cultural influences present in France during the early development of the French language. The many spelling variations of the name include Vallée, La Vallée, De Vallée, Valleau, Vallé, Valée, La Vallé, Valles, Vallès, Valley, Vallis, Valleix, Valleise and many more.

Early Notables of the Valley family

Notable amongst this name at this time was Marin de la Vallée (1576-1655), French architect associated with the Paris Hôtel de Ville and the Luxembourg Palace; Simon de la Vallée (1590-1642), a French-born, Swedish...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Valley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Valley Ranking

In the United States, the name Valley is the 7,445^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Valley migration to the United States +

France was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Valley has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Valley were

Valley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Valley, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 2
John Valley, who landed in Maryland in 1665 2
Margaret Valley, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 2
Rachel Valley, who landed in Maryland in 1665 2
Thomas Valley, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 2

Valley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Valley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Valley, Australian settler travelling from Melbourne, Victoria aboard the ship "Drover" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 27th February 1860 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Valley (post 1700) +

Paul Michael Valley (b. 1965), American television and stage actor
Mark Thomas Valley (b. 1964), American film and television actor, best known for his roles as Brad Chase in the TV drama Boston Legal, Oliver Richard in the NBC drama Harry's Law, and as FBI Special Agent John Scott in the Fox sci fi series Fringe
F. Wayne Valley (1914-1986), American businessman, philanthropist and football player
John Valley, American filmmaker and actor best known for his film "The Pizzagate Massacre"
Alvin Valley, American fashion designer, referred to as the "King of Pants" due to his widely acclaimed designs in women's pants
Jacob Valley Sr., American politician, Delegate to Nebraska State Constitutional Convention, 1875 4
Charles E. Valley, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maine, 1916 4
Bruce Valley, American politician, Independent Candidate for U.S. Senator from New Hampshire, 1986 4
Dylan Valley, South African filmmaker from Cape Town who has directed work with SABC and Al Jazeera

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html